


Turn The Pages

by DarkCellar



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, kylux - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren Fluff, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluffy Ending, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylux - Freeform, LGBTQ Character, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Short & Sweet, Short Story, grumpy Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 18:25:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14502879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCellar/pseuds/DarkCellar
Summary: Relationships can be difficult under even the best of circumstances, as Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux have been slowly realizing. But some memories from Hux’s past may be the key to moving them past the rough patch in their love life.





	Turn The Pages

“Very good; we’re agreed, then. By the end of the week I’ll have the property cleared out, we can sign the papers, and it’s all yours.”

The man in the view screen nodded, a smile on his face.

“I look forward to doing business with you,” he said, before fading out. When he was gone, Hux leaned back in his chair, and sighed.

Hux’s father had unexpectedly passed away a few weeks ago. It was a bittersweet time for the redhead; on one hand, he felt very sad, and carried inside of him a lot of unresolved anger and regret over his less than pleasant relationship with the man. On the other hand, he felt such an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, of _relief_ , that the cruel old man was finally dead.

Ever since then, Hux had been up to his neck in possessions, land, and residential properties, as his father had been a very rich man. The biggest parcels of land he gave to Snoke, to create new training facilities for the Order on. Everything else, he sold. He could have kept something, as, being his father’s only heir, everything went to him. But he reasoned that he really didn’t want anything that reminded him of Brendol Hux, in any way.

So Hux had holo-meetings at least once a week with potential buyers for various things. He had listed everything for much cheaper than what it was worth, in order to get rid of it quickly. And for the most part, his plan was successful.

The familiar clomping of boots coming towards his office made him sigh, piper his eyes, and sit up straight.

He and the owner of the boots, Kylo Ren, has been in a relationship with each other for almost a year. What started off as a few carefree physical romps turned into something much deeper, and much more quickly than Hux had expected.

And, as were his feelings about Hux Sr., the redhead’s feelings on his partner were mixed, too.

Kylo could be so sweet and kind and loving. He could also be petulant, violent and immature. Hux never quite knew what he was going to get with him, and it could be exhausting, trying to prepare for something he couldn’t predict.

He also couldn’t figure out why things between them had gotten so strained, as of late. They had always been combative with each other but lately the bickering seemed worse than ever. He knew that a large part of their arguments centered around their relationship, itself.

Kylo wanted them to go public with their romance, while Hux wanted it to remain between just the two of them. What Ren requested was modest enough; just a desire to hold hands, maybe steal a kiss or two, in a place that wasn’t either of their quarters.

But Hux couldn’t picture himself doing this. Brendol has raised him to believe that romance was unprofessional nonsense, that should be treated as a shameful secret rather than something to be openly celebrated. Because of this, he often found it difficult to accept any kind of tenderness or affection from Kylo, despite how much he wanted to.

Kylo walked into his office now, a smile on his face.

“Hey. Are you done for the day?”

Hux nodded, gathering up his papers.

“Do you want to come back to my place tonight? For dinner? For _dessert_?”, he asked, winking suggestively. 

“No, thanks, Ren. I should really get back to my place to get a good nights sleep; I’m leaving for home first thing in the morning.”

“Why?”

Hux explained about the small house he had just sold, and how he intended to go and clear out whatever junk his father had stored.

“I can go with you, if you want.”

Kylo tried to put his arms around Hux, only to have him shrug out of his grasp.

“I’ve asked you repeatedly NOT to do that in public, Ren! I don’t get why that’s so hard for you to comprehend!”

Kylo’s face fell, and he backed away. 

“I’m sorry; it’s just, I’ll miss you.”

“I’m only going for a few days.”

“Still. Will ... will you miss ME?”

Hux rolled his eyes. “I don’t have time for this, Ren. I’ve got several things I need to attend to, before I leave. So how about you let me do them in quiet, okay?”

“Fine. You know, sometimes I think ...”

“What?”

“Nothing. Maybe your trip is coming at a good time. Maybe ... maybe we need a break, from each other.”

Hux sighed and nodded. “I hate to agree with you, but I think you’re right.”

Kylo was backing steadily towards the door.

“Okay. Okay, then, uh, have a good trip. I’ll see you when you get back.”

Hux nodded. He felt bad about hurting Kylo’s feelings, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. “Okay. Thank you.”

“And Hux?”

“Yes?”

Looking at Kylo’s eyes, Hux could see that the man was struggling not to say I Love You to him. He was afraid to say it, because he felt certain that Hux wouldn’t say it back.

Instead, he smiled as cheerfully as he could, and said “Take care of yourself.”

— -

Arkanis was beautiful, but, as always, rainy.

Hux could recall maybe a handful of completely sunny days on his home planet, and each one was connected to a special occasion in his mind. Him receiving his Pilot’s license. Graduating from Academy. His first kiss.

But the rain had its own subtle charm. Steady, constant, and covering this world in some of the lushest, greenest forests and meadows in the galaxy.

The caretakers of the house had done a fantastic job in keeping it tidy. Hux was pleasantly surprised that they had already organized all of the personal belongings into boxes, for Hux to go through and decide whether to toss or keep.

Hux hasn’t told anyone this, but this house was his mother’s.

The situation with his mom was even more complicated than his father. Hux’s mother had been a servant in Brendol Hux’s household, one that he began a secret romantic affair with, despite the woman being married to another. 

When she became pregnant with Brendol’s child, her husband promptly divorced her, leaving her penniless and homeless. Hux wasn’t sure of the specifics, but he knew that the woman had been invited by Brendol to move in with him, which she did ... until Hux was born.

After that, things changed.

His father had never gone into detail, but suffice it to say the reality was that once the baby was past nursing stage, Brendol had Hux’s mother moved into this house, on her own. She had this house, and a substantial monthly allowance. 

But, as per their ‘agreement’, she wasn’t allowed to be in her son’s life in any way, nor give any indication of who she was. Hux only knew that the beautiful red headed woman was his mother because one day, when he was about 5, a new servant had pointed her out to him, at the marketplace. Hux had broken away from the woman and ran up to his mother, embracing her. His mother had spoken kindly to him ... but she seemed terrified of the contact, and quickly regaled him back into the arms of the servant.

And indeed, Hux’s memories of her were foggy, at best. He couldn’t remember the sound of her voice at all, and it was with much difficulty that he could even think of her face.

All of the boxes were packed full of things that belonged to her, and Hux went through them carefully. 

He didn’t really see much worth keeping, other than a few items of jewelry. One thing was lovely; a gold locket with a tiny picture of who Hux assumes as his mother as a young girl. He tucked this carefully into his pocket, and plowed on. He had built a roaring fire in the huge fireplace, so that he could easily dispose of things he didn’t wish to keep.

He lifted another box from the shelf, thinking it was more old jewelry.

Hux’s mouth fell open.

Inside was what must have been hundreds of handwritten letters, addressed to his mother, from his father.

He opened one up and read it.

_You are the light in the darkest hours_  
_Your spirit keeps mine warm_  
_Your beauty is more sacred than a thousand flowers,_  
_Together we’ll get through the storm_

..... 

Poetry?

His father actually wrote poems, for his mother?

The concept was literally unfathomable to Hux; yet the more letters he opened, the more poetry he came across.

He started to notice a change, though, in the months leading up to his birth. The poems became less, and the letters more serious. Brendol started to make cruel, cutting remarks, about the woman’s pregnant weight, her looks, everything. The very last letter was so cold and impersonal that it was as though two different people had written that, and the earlier poems.

_You have done a sufficient job in providing me with a son. The infant is a bit small but I expect to build him up with proper nutrients. I’m sure we can both agree that the child would fare better, an have better opportunities, under my care, than yours. Therefore, in regards to ..._

Hux couldn’t read any more. He felt himself shake with rage. How could his father treat Hux’s mother so ... so callously? Whether her station in life was lower than his, or not; she deserved to be treated with love and respect. NOT like she was some kind of weakness, or a secret that could be shoved away as though it didn’t exist.

**That’s exactly how you treat Kylo, you know.**

The thought was his own, but it was so startling that he dropped the letter he was holding.

“No, it’s not.”, he answered himself out loud.

**Yes, it IS. You’re just like your father. Your relationship with Kylo started off sweet and loving too. Then you started worrying about what others would think of you, and little by little, you push him away. Just like what your father did to your mother. You say your biggest fear in life is turning into Brendol Hux? Congratulations, you’re on the right path.**

Hux was so stunned by the revelation that he couldn’t move, for a few moments. The he swiftly stood up, picked up the box, and tossed the entire thing into the fireplace.

He had a lot to think about, which he did, as he watched the papers burn to ashes.

— -

Hux walked slowly down the corridor to his office. He had just arrived back home, and was tired; but he knew he wouldn’t be able to go home and sleep until he got a look at the massive mound of paperwork that had undoubtedly piled up in his absence. So he made his way to his office, at the same time using his DataPad to contact Lieutenant Ingrams to meet him there, to brief him on all that had been going on the past few days.

When he got to the door, he paused, and did a double-take.

Was he in the right office?

There were papers, alright. But they were organized into several tall, tidy stacks, color-coded by level of importance.

Hux walked in and sat down, picking up a paper. It was already filled out. 

“Good evening, General.”

Hux looked up. Ingrams was in the doorway, standing at attention, and smiling.

“Good evening. All of this work ...”, he said, gesturing around, “Did YOU do this?”

“Er, no, sir. Lord Ren completed that for you.”

Hux blinked in surprise. “Lord Ren? Are you sure?”

Ingrams nodded confidentially. “Yes, Sir, General. He was in here almost the entire day yesterday, completing these. I had to offer clarification on a few points but otherwise, he did everything himself.”

“Why?”, Hux asked, mostly to himself. “Why would he go out of his way to help me like this?”

“If I may speak frankly, he said that this week was going to be difficult for you, and you would need all the support you could get.”

“Huh,” Hux muttered, not sure what else to say. He looked carefully through the tall pile of papers, genuinely surprised at the neat professionalism put into each one. “This ... is really rather thoughtful of him, isn’t it?”

Ingrams nodded. “I agree.”

The lieutenant began to give Hux the briefing he had requested, but in truth, Hux was barely listening. He thanked the man when he had finished speaking, and dismissed him. Then he looked at the clock. 1930. He stood up and made his way to the small gym located on the lower level.

He pushed open the door slowly. He was there, of course. Alone, dressed in fatigues, and pounding the life out of a punching bag. Hux stood in the doorway and watched him for a few moments. His muscles, his facial expressions, the sweat rolling down his face ...

Kylo really was a beautiful specimen.  
In so many ways.

Eventually Hux cleared his throat loudly, and Kylo turned around, having become aware of his presence. He quickly wiped his face and arms with an old towel, before walking towards Hux.

“You’re back. Are you ...”

Hux circled Kylo in his arms and hugged him hard, so hard that he very nearly knocked the startled knight over.

“Why are you hugging me?”

Hux just tightened his arms. “Because I’m head-over-heels in love with you, Kylo. That’s why.”

“R-really? Since when?”

Hux leaned up and kissed Kylo, softly, on the lips. “Always. You’re the absolute best thing in my life.” He continued kissing him playfully, making a small game out of touching all the moles on Kylo’s face with his lips.

Kylo smiled, not sure what was causing this unusual bout of affection from the redhead, but grateful for it nonetheless.

“You realize we’re in a public place, don’t you? Everybody could SEE us. People will talk.”

Hux finally released him from his grip. Smiling, he said,

“And I imagine they’ll talk even more, when you hold my hand on the way to my chambers.”

Kylo raised an eyebrow. “Your chambers?”

Hux nodded. At the same time he did take hold of Kylo’s hand, and began to pull him down the hall. “Yes, my chambers. You’re moving in, by the way. The sooner the better.”

Kylo was flabbergasted. He had been pestering Hux on the idea of moving in together for months, only to be met with emphatic, cold rejection each time.

“But you ... I ... I thought you said ...”

“Forget what I said, okay? We’ll redecorate any way that you desire, your grandfather’s helmet can be on display in our living room ... I don’t care. What I DO care about is that we wake up to each other in the morning, and come home to each other at night. Agreed?”

Kylo smiled and pulled Hux’s hand to his lips, kissing it.

“Agreed. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I like it.”

Grinning, Hux thought, directly at Kylo,

_If you like this, you’re going to **love** what gets into YOU, later tonight._

Kylo gasped. Hux had never said anything like that before; Kylo wasn’t even aware that he knew how to make innuendos. Instead of answering Hux’s thought out-loud, Kylo just smiled, and began walking a little quicker.

He couldn’t wait to get home.


End file.
